On Saturday the team was taking part in the first official test session for the GTR24h. The day consisted of around 7hrs of free practise and finished with a 90min test race. It was clear from the beginning that the Lola's latest developments made it extremely difficult to drive and so the team has selected the HPD ARX03a as driven by Strakka in 2012.
The HPD has proved to be stable through the corners with a top speed of 197mph with a full fuel tank. Despite having the car for the job, lap times were off pace compared to that of the other teams, but not by much.
The test race later in the day outlined areas of concern which must be ironed out over the course of the following months. Firstly, trying to keep up with the other teams was possible however they cleared ahead very quickly through the Porsche Curves and we lost a substantial amount of time at the Ford Chicane. Performance through this sector needs to be improved to bring us in line with the other cars.
The second issue was the new layout of Tetre Rouge. The turn has been tightened and a run-off added to the outside making it very easy to run wide and gain an advantage. If the line is not perfect every time through the corner, the car will end up running wide, resulting in a penalty.
Both of these problems suggest that the handling of the HPD needs to be modified to allow for the fast corners to be taken tighter.
Overall, the test day went well and the team is showing promise for a good result however we are still not there so focus is needed to make up those crucial few seconds.
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